


Persuasive

by Museical



Series: Strong [2]
Category: Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: AU Hammer Throw, Gen, Goldenlake Decathalon, Spoilers: MASTIFF, Warning: Off-screen canon violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-11
Updated: 2013-01-11
Packaged: 2017-11-25 02:58:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/634395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Museical/pseuds/Museical
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath, Gareth can still smell the burning but Mama and Papa are here and Gareth decides he doesn't like the other people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Persuasive

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Goldenlake's Decathalon Challenge 2012  
> Character: Gareth of Conte  
> Event: Alternate Universe Hammer Throw

  
  
Gareth’s nose still burns, the acrid stench of ashes and blood clinging to him even after the screaming and scissor sharp hiss of blade-on-sword has ended. His mama’s skirts are soft and warm, if not clean, and he tries not to bury his face in them. He is a big boy.  
  
It’s the first time he’s been in a meeting with Mama and Papa, and Mama is talking, so Gareth tries to pay attention. Papa’s hand is on her shoulder, standing on Mama’s other side, and Mama’s arm is around Gareth, and Gareth feels safe.   
  
They are talking about something called “attempted kidnap”, and Mama’s arm tightens around Gareth. Her voice is sharp, her “formal voice”, and the people in the room look tense. They look at Gareth with hard expressions and Gareth decides he doesn’t like them. The woman closest to him has cold ice eyes and doesn’t smile; Gareth turns away from her gaze. Her companion clanks ominously like the people who burst into his room when the fighting began, and he didn’t like them at all. There are men with them, but there are always soldiers near Papa and Gareth doesn’t mind them so much, not when the men bow to Papa and talk in lower, calmer voices than the women do.   
  
Gareth leans into his Mama, and she drops a kiss on his head. His Mama doesn’t fight. His mama laughs and sings and dances with her ladies in their pretty dresses. His Mama is beautiful, even with her dress torn and her face smudged from dirt and tears. Mama isn’t like these people, and Gareth doesn’t like them at all.  
  
Papa’s voice gets louder, talking to the woman in armor, and Gareth thinks that Papa must not like her either. Papa is nice, so she is not, and Gareth decides not to like her either. She still smiles at him even though Gareth is frowning. The other knight did too, the one who led the men into Gareth’s rooms; smiled and said nice things but then there was fighting and Gareth doesn’t like fighting and he doesn’t like this woman.  
  
Mama’s pretty voice sends them all away, and then she hugs him tightly again. Relieved, Gareth hugs her back.   
  
  
  
Months later, Papa is in a meeting and very angry. Gareth recognizes the women in the meeting with him; the woman in armor is arguing with him, and even after they leave Gareth stays out of Papa’s way. Mama smoothes his hair and lets him play with his wooden knights on the floor. When Uncle Baird visits later, he is smiling, which makes Papa smile again, which makes Mama and Gareth smile, too. Gareth smiles even more when Uncle Baird gives him a new knight, one in Conte blue and silver, and Gareth hurries to grab his other knights and arrange them in battle formation, the new one at the head and leading his men. All of his knights are men, and none have scary-icy eyes, and Gareth likes it that way. He decides that when he is older his army will be all men just like this one—no lady knights—and this makes Papa laugh and Uncle Baird grin.   
  
They don’t like lady knights, Gareth thinks. Papa always argues with the lady knights.  
  
Gareth doesn’t like arguing.   
  
Gareth likes making Papa laugh.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AU: Gareth isn't kidnapped. 


End file.
